Diabetes is a sugar metabolic disorder disease mainly exhibiting hyperglycemia and shows symptoms of hunger, thirst and polyuria, and in the severe case causes coma.
For the prevention or treatment of diabetes, the dietetics, physical exercise, insulinization and oral administration of a hypoglycemic agent are being carried out generally.
At present sulfonylurea derivatives are the most widely prescribed drugs for the treatment of diabetes. Sulfonylurea derivatives possess a strong and prolonged hypoglycemic acitivity. On the other hand, they do have the disadvantages such as hypoglycemia and primary or secondary failure of efficacy. Therefore, it has been desired to develop more favorable drugs. The compounds of the present invention have a property that the glucose level after a meal is rapidly reduced, and thus are useful as a therapeutic agent for treatment of diabetes.